Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh facts for kids

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (born August 28, 1979) is a talented fiddler from Dublin, Ireland. He is known for his unique fiddle playing style, which uses a lot of "drone" sounds. This style is greatly inspired by the uilleann pipes (a type of Irish bagpipe) and the traditional music from a region in Ireland called Sliabh Luachra.

Caoimhín studied at Trinity College Dublin, a famous university. He was a top student in Theoretical Physics and earned a first-class degree in 2001. During his summers, he worked at the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin. This job helped him discover many old recordings, which greatly influenced his music.

Musical Collaborations and Groups

Caoimhín has worked with many other musicians. With uilleann piper Mick O'Brien, he released an album called Kitty Lie Over in 2003. This album was named the best traditional album of that year by an American newspaper.

He often performs with accordion player Brendan Begley from West Kerry. He has also collaborated many times with sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird. Sean-nós is a very old style of Irish singing.

Caoimhín is part of two modern traditional music groups:

• The Gloaming: This group includes Martin Hayes, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Dennis Cahill, and Thomas Bartlett.
• This Is How We Fly: His bandmates in this group are Petter Berndalen, Nic Gareiss, and Seán Mac Erlaine.

He has also performed with international artists like the Icelandic group Amiina, Sam Amidon, and The Waterboys.

Instruments and Unique Fiddles

Caoimhín plays several instruments, including the violin and the Hardanger fiddle. The Hardanger fiddle is a special Norwegian instrument.

The Hardanger d'Amore

One of his most unique instruments is a fiddle made by a Norwegian craftsman named Salve Hakedal. Caoimhín calls it the Hardanger d'Amore. It's a mix between a Hardanger fiddle and a five-string violin. It has five strings that you play with a bow and five extra strings underneath that vibrate on their own, creating a rich, ringing sound.

Caoimhín often uses special tunings for his fiddle, called scordatura or crosstunings. This is common in Norwegian and old-time American fiddle music. He also uses special bows made by Michel Jamonneau. He used to play another unique five-string viola called a Viola Pellegrina Pomposa.

Other Instruments and Theatre Work

Besides the fiddle, Caoimhín also plays the tin whistle, flute, and uilleann pipes. He learned whistle and flute from Michael Tubridy, a flute player from the famous Irish band The Chieftains.

Caoimhín has also worked in theatre. He was asked by the Abbey Theatre to write music for their plays. He also regularly works with a theatre company called Gare St Lazare Players. In 2015, he contributed music to the film Brooklyn, recording some reels (a type of Irish dance tune) with accordion player Fiachna Ó Mongáin.

Notable Projects

In 2011, Caoimhín performed a new piece of music called The Valley of the Lunatics. This piece was written especially for him by composer Dave Flynn. Part of this music was later used in the soundtrack for the film The Enigma of Frank Ryan.

In 2019, he released a special album with Thomas Bartlett, who is also a member of The Gloaming. They recorded this album together during breaks in their touring schedule.

Discography

• Turas go Tír na nÓg (1999)
• Kitty Lie Over (2003, with Mick O'Brien)
• Where the One-Eyed Man is King (2007)
• Comb Your Hair and Curl It (2010, with Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh and Catherine McEvoy)
• Triúr sa Draighean (2010, with Peadar Ó Riada and Martin Hayes)
• A Moment of Madness (2010, with Brendan Begley)
• Deadly Buzz (2011, with Mick O'Brien)
• Triúr Arís (2012, with Peadar Ó Riada and Martin Hayes)
• Triúr Omós (2013, with Peadar Ó Riada and Martin Hayes)
• This is How we Fly (2013, with Seán Mac Erlaine, Nic Gareiss and Petter Berndalen)
• The Gloaming (2014, with Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Thomas Bartlett)
• Music for an Elliptical Orbit (2014)
• Laghdú (2014, with Dan Trueman)
• The Gloaming 2 (2016, with Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Thomas Bartlett)
• Foreign Fields (2017, with Seán Mac Erlaine, Nic Gareiss and Petter Berndalen)
• All Soundings are True (2017, with Garth Knox)
• The Gloaming: Live at the NCH (2018, with Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Thomas Bartlett)
• The Gloaming 3 (2019, with Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Thomas Bartlett)
• Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Thomas Bartlett (2019, with Thomas Bartlett)